Dry-sluice placer-gold separator.



Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

3 SHEEISSMEET l- IN VEN TOR.

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L E. MEYER.

DRY sum; PLACER sou) SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZG. i9li. fllfi3fiwm Patented Nov. 5, 1918 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

A TTOR E YS.

L E. MEYER.

DRY SLUICE PLAfiER GOLD SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED )UNEZG. I9]?- Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 25 i i away; Fig. 4 is a plan view of theseparatl 1 i 2 and at the other end with an upwardly in LAURENCE E. MEYER, 0F SANDIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

nnv-snuion rnacna-eonn snranaron.

Application filed June 26, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, LAURENCE E. MEYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Diego, in the county of San Diego and gravel, andthe objects of my invention are,

to provide a machine of the kind that will not require any water for treating the material; that will separate the gold from the sands'and gravel by the use of air; that is 1 simple of construction and easily transported from one place to another.

1 attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:. y

1 Figure 1 is a side elevational View of my device showing in dotted lines certain interior members: Fig. 2 is a side elevational view opposite to that in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end elevational view with a portion broken ing chamber with the cover removed and showing the operating means; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through A-B in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a similar sectional view through C-D in Fig. 1, Fig. 7 is a sectional view through E-F in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8 is a lon gitudinal section of the machine with the blower and compressor parts inelevation for the purposes of illustration. j

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The casing 1 is a box tightly closed at all points exceptat the ends a and b, and 1s provided at one end with a curved portion clined portion 3, and is mounted on upright supports 4 on the one side and on similar supports 5 on the other side. The supports 4: are mounted at their lower ends in a sill 9 and the supports 5 are mounted at their lower ends in a sill 10. A hopper 6 is mounted near the one end of the casing 1 at 7, which opens into the chamber 8 ofthe casing 1. i a a i i In the chamber 8 of the/casing 1 are a plurality of longitudinally disposed guide members 11 and side guide members 1 1 which are each provided with plane surfaces 12 at an angle to each other so as to prevent the sand and gravel from lodglng on the top Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Norah, rare. $er1'a11t'o. 177,011.

thereof. There is also provided in said chamber 8 a plurality of screw or worm conveyers 13 which are placed parallel to each other and parallel to the guide members 11, and are located below and between the guide members 11 and between the side guide members 1% and the adjacent guide member 11. j

There is also provided a plurality of troughs 15 each of which is made inthe form of a rectangular box and extends across the bottom of the casing 1 and its tightly agalnst said casing 1, and each covers an opening into saidchamber 8 in casing 1.

These troughs are provided on their sides with extensions 16, which are adapted to slide into grooves in the keepers 17' mounted on the casing 1.

Mounted above the casing 1 is an air re ceiver 18 which is connected with an air compressor 19 by inlet pipe 20. Said air receiver. 18 is connected by outlet pipes 21 with the said guide members 14 at 22. These side rifles ll are hollow and are attached to the inside of the side walls of the chamber 8 so that an air-tight chamber 23 is provided. Outlet pipes 24 connect the chambers 23 with the troughs 15. These outlet pipes 2 1 are bent andhave the end portions25 turned so that the air in passing throughthe pipes 24:.will be projected into the troughs 15 toward the middle of the chamber 8. An apron 26 is mounted in chamber 8 immedi ately below the hopper 6. It is attached at one end to the rear wall of the hopper 6 and extends downwardly in the said chamber 8 a some distance beyond the vertical opening in the hopper 6. j

j A cylindrical member 27 is revolubly mounted in the supports 28 and 29. 1t isinclined suficiently to cause the sand and gravel placed in itat the end m to move toward the screen 31 when it is revolved. These supports 28 and 29 are each provided with revolving bearings 30 on which the member 27 revolves. A cylindrical screen member 31 is attached to the member 27 at 32 and is adapted. to revolve with the member 27. There are provided two annular projections 33 and 3e on the member 31 which are adapted to fit into the grooves of the revolv-.

On theextended end of member 31 is promounted in bearings onsupports 43, which are securely attached to the upright supports 4 and 5 at 44 and 45. On the otherend of said shaft 42 there is rigidly mounted a gear 46 which isadapted to be driven by a pinion 47 on the'shaft 48., The shaft 48 isprovided on its lower end with a screw gea'r49 which is adapted to be driven by the pinion 50, which is firmly mounted on the 'shaft 51. The shaft '51 is revolubly mounted in bearings-on the'supports 52 which are attached at their lower ends to the sills 9 and 10. Mounted on the shaft 51 back-of the pinion 50 is a pulley 63. Another pulley64 1s mounted on the shaft54 of'a-rotary fan 55-. Abelt 56 is adapted to be placed on the-pub leys'63 and 64 so that the revolving of the shaft 51 will causethe blades of the fan 55 on shaft'54 to force a current ofair through the outlet n into the curved portion 2 of the casing -1 at 0. Another belt 57 is adapted to rest on belt 56 and to extendto a driving means on an engine or other power means (not shown.)

Disposed'on the shaft 42 are a plurality of gears 58 which are adapted to engage one with each of the 'pinions 59 which are attached to the screw "conveyers '13 and by their action cause'the said screw conveyers to revolve.

There is provided a pluralityofbafiies 60 in the member 31 to facilitate the movement of the sand and gravel therein when the member 31 isrevolved, and a'plurality of similar baffles of are provided in the member 27 for the purposeof aerating, disintegrating and drying the sand and gravel before it reaches the screen 31.

In order to catch the fine particles of gold 'a supply of quicksilver 61 is placed in the troughs 15. Attached to the roof of the chamber 8, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, are a plurality of projecting wings or baffles 62. These members 62 are each provided with a-tria ngularly shaped end which extends downwardly from the roof of the chamber 8 and they are disposed in rows across the chamber 8 immediately in the 'rearofthe troughs 15 and directly above the screw conveyers 13. They incline'toward the rear of the chamber '8 and are adapted to spread the current of air forced through the chamber and also -'to cause'the materialsdriven by the air in chamber 8 a to fall to the floor'of'said 'chamber 8.

' In operation the sand or gravel isthrown into the cylinder 27 at m. The cylinder 27 is revolved by the belt 40, thereby causing the sand and gravel to be agitated and'carried toward thehopper 6. When the sand or gravel enters the member 31 the fine material falls through the screen into the hopper 6 on to the apron 26 where it spreads outin a thin sheet and drops into the charm her 8 on the longitudinal guide members 11 and the screw conveyers 13. The air from the fan 55 blows through the material being treated. as itdrops from the apron 26 and causes the lighter material to be carried toward the rear of the chamber 8 and permits the heavier material to drop and settle on the fioor of the chamber 8 and on and around the screw conveyers 13. Owing to the inclination of the surfaces 12 of the longitudinal guidemembers- 11 the material drops more readily on the conveyers 13.

As the sand or gravel reaches the first of the troughs 15 the current of air from the receiver 18 entering through pipes 24, act ing in conjunction with the current of air from the fan 55, causes the contents of the trough 15 to be stirred up thoroughly resulting in'the-lighter material being carried out of the first trough 15 into the next one. Owing to gold being so much heavier than the sand or gravel it will naturally drop to the bottom of the trough 15 and as the material passes over the succeeding troughs the gold will all be retained in some of the troughs, and the lighter sand and gravel will be forced by the action of thescrew conveyers 13 and the force of the air in the chamber 8 to the outlet 5 of said chamber 8. In order to catch the very fine gold a quantity of quicksilver may be used in the troughs 15.

Having thus described my device, what I claim as new and desire 'to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination in a dry sluice placergold separator of a hollow casing having an opening at each end and a plurality of troughs disposed on its lower surface over openings into the chamber in said casing, a plurality of longitudinal guide members disposed horizontally in said chamber above said troughs; two side members each having a chamber therein mounted in said casing;=a plurality of longitudinal screw conveyers mounted in the chamber in said casing, each provided with a means for rotating the conveyer.

2. The "combination in a device of the kind described, of a hollow casing provided with longitudinal guide members, troughs and-side members with chambers therein; air pi'pesconnecting the chambers in said side'members withthe chamber in said casing, and a means mounted on the frame supporting said casing for furnishing air from one source to the chambers in said side members and from another source directly to the chamber in said'casing, all substantially as set forth.

, 3; In a "device of the kind described, a

Leeann"? casing having a chamber therein, a plurality of troughs connected with said chamber, and two horizontal side members each provided With an air chamber therein mounted one in each side of said chamber in said casing, each having air passages from said air chamber into said troughs, substantially as shown for the purposes specified.

4. In a dry sluice placer-gold separator, the combination of a sluice box provided with longitudinal side members, troughs and longitudinal conveyer means, with a fan means, an air compressor means, an air storage means, a material conveyer means,

and a power means for operating said fan means and said air compressor means and causing two intersecting currents of air to pass through said sluice box, all operatively connected together for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

LAURENCE E. MEYER.

Witnesses:

Mmmn Koarn, E. E. IDABAUGH.

topics or this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addreaaing the hommiasioaer at Patents, Washinn, a. W 

